Crushed
:This is sort of about my life.. except warriors version, of course!! :) Yay. :The first in the Loss Series!! (Which I'm never going to finish) :Enjoy reading, anyways! :D PRO!!! Epic sauce is good. Pro sauce is better! 09:53, November 29, 2011 (UTC) Chapter 1 "Hurry up, Amberkit!" a squeaky, small voice hissed in my ear. I jumped, but it was only my sister, Pebblekit, waking me up from my sleep. With soft, light gray fur and pretty amber-green eyes identical to mine, she was already catching the attention of many tom-kits in ThunderClan, our home clan. She was quite big compared to me, and her fluffy, groomed tail sweeped out innocently from behind her. I looked at her as I pushed myself out of my mossy nest, then licked my own chest self-conciously. In the pale sunny light of green-leaf, my tortoiseshell and white pelt didn't look half as good as hers, and my stumpy, sleek tail wasn't much better. But I savoured the fact that looks didn't compare to skill as a warrior. When our father, Mossnose, had tried to teach us the hunting crouch, Pebblekit gave it up after she couldn't master it the first time she tried. I'' was persistent enough to keep on trying, and I had it down after about four tries. Our mother, Rockpool, wasn't in the den; she probably went hunting like she usually did at this time of day. Pebblekit and I were almost six moons old, old enough to stay in camp without her. Pebblekit looked bubbly and excited, her eyes wide, and I could tell she was bursting to tell me something. "What is it?" I meowed grouchily. I was ''so not a morning cat. "Okay, this morning is going to be sooo fun! We're going to play she-cats in distress with Frecklekit, Cleverkit, Mousekit and Lightningkit first, then we're going to spy on Flowerpaw and Burningpaw! It's going to be totally amazing!" Pebblekit blurted out, her tail swishing gleefully. I groaned inwardly. She-cats in distress was a game, where Pebblekit and I had to 'hide' somewhere in camp and cry for help, then wait for the tom-kits to come rescue us. It was terribly dull. Pebblekit invented it, but I had a niggling suspiction that she only wanted Lightningkit to save her. A large light brown tom with looks but no brains, Lightningkit didn't interest me one bit. Cleverkit was alright, but he was way to show-offy about his knowledge, and never groomed his messy black pelt anyway. Mousekit was way too meek to play at all, as the youngest kit in the nursery, and he didn't play much. But Frecklekit, a long-legged spotted tabby tom, wasn't afraid of anything, and, like me, only played the game because he was always bored. He was Lightningkit's littermate and also his best friend. And spying on Flowerpaw and Burningpaw? They were apprentices who apperently 'loved' each other, but their conversations were like that of me and Cleverkit. Not very interesting. Pebblekit was obsessed with gossip, unlike me. More proof that littermates don't have to be alike. "I don't want to play she-cats in distress!" I found myself exclaiming. Pebblekit looked horrified. I stalked back into the nursery to go back to sleep. *****#####***** I was awaken by my mother, Rockpool. I looked up at her. Her gray, sleek fur was outlined by the afternoon sunshine shining into the den, and her deep blue eyes stared straight at me. I sat up and stretched. "Hey, mommy!" I purred. "You were meowing in your sleep!" Rockpool told me. I was surprised. I didn't even dream of anything. "Get up, lazy-bones!" my mother mewed impatiently. I scrambled out of my nest, stretching my legs. I headed outside, for the second time that day. Pebblekit was, as usual, bossing around the other she-kits, Chirpkit and Palekit. Chirpkit was my best friend, a dark tabby with one white paw and golden eyes. Palekit was fun too. The light tabby she-kit was rolling her blue eyes at Pebblekit's crazy 'games'. I hurried to join them. "So, after we clean our fur twice, we have to look into the warrior's den without getting caught, then pounce onto Amberkit. She's asleep... It's gonna be so fun! I'm going to win!" Pebblekit was saying. Chirpkit shook her head. "I don't think it's going to be a good idea to wake up Amberkit, it's not nice! She's my bestest friend in the whole of the clans! I think that's a bit mean..." I padded up to stand next to Chirpkit. "I agree!" Pebblekit squeaked and hid behind a bush, cowering in fear of my 'wrath'. I strolled up to her and mewed,"Maybe I should pounce on you instead!" And I jumped onto her, claws sheathed. We rolled around, trying to pin one another down. I growled with fake anger, and finally managed to hold her down with one paw. Pebblekit screeched. "Your getting my fur all messed up! Let me go!" I sighed and let my sister get up. She frantically licked her chest fur until it shone, smooth and unruffled. Lightningkit stared at her like she was the last piece of prey on the fresh-kill pile. I found myself glancing at Frecklekit. His tiny but strong frame was outlined in a shaft of golden sunlight, making his fur shine. Why wouldn't he stare at me the way Lightningkit stared at Pebblekit? Stop it, I told myself. You're only a kit, for StarClan's sake! I dropped my gaze. Amber-green eyes and a tortoiseshell pelt wouldn't hide the withering confidence inside of me. Chapter 2 I was running for my life. A cat was chasing me, but I didn't have time to look back to see who it was. My heart raced as I leaped over a fallen tree. I couldn't run for much longer. I stopped and whirled around to face my opponent. The cat was black with soulless gray eyes. They stared at me, never wavering, and never blinking. I could sense the power in its paws and the strength in its long, muscle-y legs. The strange cat growled at me, and it padded, slowly but surely, to stare at me, a whisker away from my trembling nose. "W-who are you?" I managed to stammer, my eyes betraying the panicked state I was in. "I am every cat's worst nightmare," the cat whispered in a snake-like voice that was neither a she-cat's or a tom's. "I am the cause of battles, arguments, and even deaths. I am Loss!" I shrieked. My legs wanted to run away, but they seemed frozen to the ground. "I am Loss," the cat repeated. "You will lose all you have ever loved. Except for your family, because cats would notice something strange was happening if they all died too..." The cat paused. I could see that it was thinking of what to say. I almost laughed. This cat was more powerful than smart! The cat hissed, after a long period of time, "And you have been chosen. Beware, I will be watching... and interfering.." I screamed again but this 'Loss' was already disappearing. As it faded away, I heard one last word. "Beware!" I woke up, terrified. My short fur was standing on end so I licked it flat. When my fur was fluffed up, it stood out in spikes! All of the kits and their mothers were still sleeping, and I realised that it wasn't yet dawn. Waiting alone for the sun to rise, I crept out of the nursery, accidentally falling into Frecklekit and Lightningkit's nest, which they shared with their mother, Iceflower. "Mouse dung," I whispered, and pushed myself out of their moss. I flicked a stray pigeon's feather from my nose. But as I was leaving the den, pawsteps sounded behind me. I had woken up Frecklekit! "Good morning!" he meowed cheerfully. The spotted tom-kit followed me to the middle of the stone hollow without a word, and sat next to me. We both sat there in silence, watching the sunrise. The first shards of sunlight turned the sky to a pearly pink, then slowly changed it to a pale orange, which eventually became a clear, blue sky. Cats were waking up. I spotted my father, Mossynose, exit the warriors' den with Chirpkit and Palekit's father, a brown and white tom called Tallspots. They shouted for their apprentices, Flowerpaw and Burningpaw, to join them for their hunting assignments. Frecklekit and I both turned our heads as the leader of ThunderClan, a silver and white she-cat with startling grey eyes called Brookstar, emerged from her den on top of Highledge, tapping her paw against the cold stone. It was rumored that she was descended from the great Three themselves, Lionblaze, Jayfeather and Dovewing. Frecklekit and I fidgeted in our silent vigil while more and more cats rustled awake in their dens. Why we were sitting there doing nothing, I didn't know. But I felt like Brookstar, watching over her clan. The deputy, a skinny gray tabby tom named Silverflick, roused the warriors from their sleep and directed them to either border patrols of hunting patrols. I heard a grumpy voice, most likely the famously grouchy she-cat Thorntail's, groan, and a more cheerful voice meowing,"Oh, Thorntail. Cheer up! You're only waking up!" It was probably the jokey golden tabby tom Yellowsun, who always wanted to put a smile on every cats' faces. ThunderClan seemed safe enough. My mind drifted to my dream. The cat called Loss had told me I had been chosen. That seemed quite ominous, ominous enough to tell someone. "See you later, Frecklekit!" I mewed as I rose from the cold stone ground. "Uh.. bye," Frecklekit murmured, seeming as if he was lost in thought. I headed over to the medicine cat's den. Peering into the den, I silently padded in. The medicine cat, a young ginger tabby she-cat called Watergaze, was sorting a fragrant purple berry into piles. Her bright blue eyes rose from her herbs to look at me as I tapped my trembling tail on her shoulder. "Hi, Amberkit. What can I do for you?" Watergaze asked me. "You don't seem to be hurt or sick." "I-I had a dream." My worried mew came out as a stutter. "Ah. Can you tell me about your dream?" the medicine cat questioned. "Uh..." I was lost for words. I couldn't tell anyone about this. What if it wasn't true? What if it was ''just ''a dream? "Amberkit?" Watergaze looked me over once more. "Maybe you can tell me another day. I can see you're still confused. I'll let you think over it. Is that okay?" I nodded quickly and stumbled out of the medicine cat's den. Well, that was awkward. Chapter 3 I strolled back to the nursery, watching as Thorntail, Goldenfeather and Freshfern were assigned to a border patrol. How I wished to get outside of camp! Not long to wait, I thought. I'm almost six moons old! I entered the nursery, glancing at what was going on inside. Iceflower was holding Lightningkit by the scruff, and shaking him. Instantly interested, I crept closer and heard the shouting. "Lightningkit!" Iceflower scolded, her ice blue eyes narrowed. "Don't you ever try to get out of camp again, or I'll have Brookstar hold your apprenticeship back three moons!" She boxed his ears and raked over them with an unsheathed paw. A drop of blood trickled down his face, but the injury was too light for Lightningkit to bleed very heavily. The large brown kit was nodding his head, terrified. His mother set him down on the nursery floor, huffing and puffing. The bright white queen stormed out of the nursery, shoving me aside. "Don't worry, Lightningkit," Pebblekit crooned. The tom-kit was trembling with shock. The usually calm queen had never done anything like that before! Frecklekit was also looking scared. He probably didn't know his mother could do such a thing either. Pebblekit, Palekit, Chirpkit, Cleverkit, Mousekit and Frecklekit had stood back, watching with wide eyes, throughout the whole experience, along with Rockpool, Cleverkit's mother Rosethorn, Chirpkit and Palekit's mother Sweetbreeze and Mousekit's mother Mothflight. "It's alright. It's not like she hurt ''you or anything!" Pebblekit paused. She thought over her words, then spoke again. "Well, she did, but still..." I took this opportunity to slink into the den and stand beside Rockpool. My mother looked down on me with soft blue eyes, and I buried myself in her long gray fur. "You know I would never do that to you," she whisped into my ear. I nodded. I lay down in my nest, too tired to go out again, even if it was still just after sun-high. I heard the queens chatting as my eyes drooped. "I can't believe Iceflower would be so violent to her own kit! She even drew blood!" That was Rosethorn's sharp voice. The cream she-cat had the same nasally, stuck-up voice as her son, Cleverkit. "I know! It's appalling to think that a queen would do that!" Mothflight added. Her usually quiet, soft voice was harder and louder than ever. "I think that Lightningkit should be taken to Watergaze. He's clearly in shock," Rockpool added. "I think I'll take him now." I lifted my gaze just enough to see Rockpool gently coaxing Lightningkit away from the nursery. Finally she gave up and, straining, lifted him up by the scruff and carried him out. Sweetbreeze had started speaking. "I wonder what Blackstone will do," she murmured thoughtfully. Blackstone was Iceflower's mate and Lightningkit and Frecklekit's father. He was the strongest warrior in ThunderClan, but he wasn't very good at hunting. He was known for being brutal in battle. I almost laughed aloud. Blackbreeze would probably praise Iceflower for being so terrible, and he would scold Lightningkit for not fighting back. He probably thought that this violence was all good fun! ''It's interesting that Blackstone fathered such a fine kit as Frecklekit, I thought. The lazy afternoon air was hot and sticky. The queens were still gossiping, but I was lulled into sleep by the warm green-leaf breeze... ***^^^*** Cold air bit through my thin fur. I was as cold as ice, and I could only see blinding white snow whipping around me. Dark spots blocked my vision for a moment. "Where am I?" I called out. "Is anyone there?" But I could only hear the blizzard and the howling winds. Suddenly, the blizzard became a dark, humid forest. It was so dark that I couldn't see anything. Strange birds cawed and the sticky air made my fur puff out. The strange forest changed. This time I was in a pool of mud, sinking slowly but surely. I could see all of my clanmates gathered around me, looking upon me pitifully as I started to drown in the wet, brown muck. There were long, thick branches in clear sight that they could use to help me out but ThunderClan just stood there, staring at me like I was a two-headed shrew. Brookstar, Freshfern, Thorntail, Goldenfeather, Sweetbreeze, Mothflight, Blackstone, Flowerpaw, Burningpaw... Every cat but Frecklekit. He had clearly noticed the planks of wood and was struggling to carry one to me. Time slipped away. I could feel my neck starting to sink into the mud. Frecklekit was getting help. I rejoiced silently as Chirpkit, Palekit, Pebblekit, Rockpool and Mossnose picked their way towards the wooden branch Frecklekit had managed to drag slightly towards me. All of the cats who were my family and friends. My heartbeats were numbered. My mouth started to slip under the gooey mass. I switched to breathing out of my nose. I started to swallow the mud. More cats were noticing me now. They rushed over to help. Together, they were able to drag the stick over towards me. Finally, the branch was lowered to me. I couldn't move out of the mud. How was I supposed to grab the branch if my paws were stuck underneath me? My nose was itching. The muck was reaching my nose! My time was almost up. If I could just move my paws a bit.. But my nose was under. I couldn't breathe or move. My time was up. I was going to die... Then I woke up.